In 1959, actress Jayne Mansfield presented the prizes for a budgerigar competition at All Saints Church Hall in Hackney. The event, which made the front page of the Hackney Gazette, is described in a new book by Iain Sinclair, ‘Hackney: That Rose-Red Empire’, which will be published later this year. On Saturday, artist Susanna Edwards, who has collaborated with Sinclair on other projects including a film installation at Tate Britain and an artists’ book, will recreate the competition at the same venue.
Edwards, who has taught as several of London’s art universities, has drafted in former students to help out at the village fête-style event, which will have a strong budgerigar theme. It’s part of a multi-stranded artistic exploration of social, historical and political issues in Hackney, on which Edwards is working with filmmaker Emily Richardson – but the budgies don’t need to know that. There’s a competition for the best-dressed budgie, too, so as far as they’re concerned it’s just a great opportunity to show who’s a pretty boy (then).
The competition is open to any Hackney resident with a budgerigar. It will be judged by Edwards (channelling Jayne Mansfield for the occasion), Sinclair and the Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkinson. Photographer Luke Stephenson will document the proceedings for an exhibition at Tatty Devine in June.
